Why did New Zealand impose a nationwide lockdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic?

To address the COVID-19 pandemic, the government led by Jacinda Ardern adopted a "go hard and go early" strategy. This approach was designed to contain the spread of the virus quickly and thoroughly through aggressive public health measures, which included closing the country's borders to international travelers and implementing a strict nationwide lockdown.12

These policies were implemented when just over 100 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the country. While the lockdown dealt a significant blow to New Zealand's tourism-dependent economy—resulting in the worst quarterly decline in the country's economic history—the strategy was considered extraordinarily effective at the time, successfully limiting the spread of the virus and keeping the national death toll low.21